Catscapades

It is estimated that fifteen percent of all Internet traffic is connected to cats. I guess that’s why such biggies as the Huffington Post actually has a link to their cat-related stories. If you love true cat stories, this is not to be missed. You’ll find stories of unlikely friends involving cats, a cat that rode stuck in a car bumper for eight miles and walked away like nothing had happened. Meet a train station cat with his own uniform, a cat that cleans floors, a cat that took a beautiful selfie and tips for taking care of your cat. Did you know some professionals believe you should not feed a cat from a bowl? Do you know how to tell if your cat is in pain? How does catnip actually affect cats—is it safe?

Read all of these stories and more here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/cats/ And if you’d like a daily dose of cat news, consider subscribing to the Pussington Post. http://pussingtonpost.com

In the meantime, I’ll continue to bring you stories, information, perspective, news, and pictures, as well as resources all related to cats.

I’ve been writing this blog for seven years this month. If you’ve just started following it, you’ve missed a lot. You might want to take time to check out some of the other posts.

Winfield Found a Warm Spot

Most recently I’ve listed 27 other cozy mystery series with cats. Check them out in the March 4 post. If you’re interested in fascinating facts about felines, visit the March 2 post. For a series of photos showing how relaxed cats can get, don’t miss the one posted February 24. The very first post features my daughter’s brown cat, Fridgie Frypan. Find out how my daughter came to adopt this cat (it’s quite an unusual story of catnapping) and how the rascal got his name. This was posted March 30, 2009.

Yesterday we had fun talking about cats and their thought processes. It’s obvious to those of us who have lived with cats for many years (or even a short time) that cats can figure things out. Michelle wrote that her cat, after watching her turn on and off her bedside lamp many times, figured out how to do it. Michelle said it was quite a shock to be awakened one morning by a bright light shining in her eyes.

Lily likes to accompany me into the bathroom. But if I take too long in there, she gets antsy and wants out. Rather than vocalize her desire, she simply sits and stares up at the doorknob. She knows that’s her way out and she’s learned that if she stares at it long enough someone will turn it and the door will open. Some cats go beyond this and have figured out how to open the door themselves.

My daughter’s cat used the toilet once. Only once. Some cats, however, learn to use it and prefer it. Other cats simply enjoy playing in the water or pulling the toilet paper off the roll. Please, if you have a kitten, keep that lid down!!

Did you know there are cat circuses and most of them feature shelter cats. Some cat circus trainers and cat behaviorists use the clicker method of training and teaching cats. And this is something we can do at home. It’s a matter of using the clicker (purchase at a pet store) and offering a treat when the cat engages in good behavior, such as scratching on the scratching post instead of the chair, using the litter box instead of the area rug, coming when called and so forth.

Yes, cats can be taught, but there’s plenty that they learn on their own. Lily has a problem with twitching. We’ve had her examined by three vets, including a holistic vet and none of them has figured out what causes her discomfort—nerves, stress, diet, allergies??? But we notice that the twitching occurs most often an hour before dinner. When I see her skin beginning to twitch and she starts darting around the room as if something’s chasing her, I’ll get out her rubber massage brush and hold it up for her to see. She’ll immediately come to me, lie down and stretch out so I can massage the area. It seems to give her relief and she knows it. Even though she really doesn’t care to be combed or brushed, she will gladly accept the massage brushing and even come asking for it sometimes.

There are a million stories about cat behavior and characteristics. We always appreciate it when you share yours.

By the way, you can click on any of the dates to the right and see some of the other recent posts or some from a few years ago. Enjoy!

For those who would like an autographed copy of the latest book in print, I have copies in house. Order your autographed copy of A Purrfect Lie today. http://www.matilijapress.com/Klepto-Cat-Mysteries/PurrfectLie.html

Lily talking up the Klepto Cat Mystery books

Just how does a cat’s mind work? Do they think things through or do they rely totally on instincts? Are they a thinking being or is it all conditioning? When they take action (stalk a bird, go out through the doggie door, playfully attack another resident cat, climb up into your lap) is it thought-driven or impulse? Do they operate from thoughts or instincts? Is there a difference? And what does it matter?

I don’t know how much time scientists have spent studying the cat, but in the articles and reports I’ve read, researchers often admit they don’t really know much about the domestic cat. Maybe that’s because cats are complex.

Think about it, they know how to calculate distance before leaping up on the counter top or leaping when you toss a paper wad. They know when it’s meal or treat time as if they have a built-in clock. Do they get cues from us—they know that when you walk in the door from your workday it’s time for a treat? Ours seem to take clues from the TV. When the news comes on, it’s close to dinner time and they start preparing us so we’ll remember to feed them. Our cats don’t embrace the daylight savings time thing, especially this time of year. They tend to want their meals according to the old time.

Most cats figure out the routine in a household. They notice that the people get up at a

Lily Meets Her First Balloon

certain time most days and that they get fed shortly after. But what if their person sleeps in? If a cat owns you, you know darn well what happens. The cat won’t stand for you to get extra Z’s. She demands that you stick to her routine. If her sweet prrrts and gentle face nudging doesn’t get her what she wants—breakfast—she might resort to dive bombing, clawing, and a little noise-making. Lily, for example, bats the blind cords so they clink against the wooden blind slats. Or she’ll knock something off the dresser. Crash!!! Yeah, that’ll wake me up. For those of you who are new to cats, beware of what you set on your headboard. If you do something that doesn’t please the cat—like try to sleep in—he’s liable to knock that antique lamp or heavy alarm clock onto your head.

Cats have been known to save their families from a burning house. Some have alerted another family member when someone’s in trouble. Is that an instinct or does the cat actually know more than we give them credit for? Our cats seem to understand what we say; or is it what we think? I’ve had some incredible experiences using mind-talk with animals. I included these stories in my first cat book—a book of true cat tales, Catscapades. Available at Amazon.com or here, in case you’re interested. http://www.matilijapress.com/catscapades.html

Here are a couple of new true cat stories I’ve heard lately. Gumby is a huge cat belonging to a friend of mine. He lives with a couple of smaller females who tend to fight a lot. Lately, when he’s had enough of their carrying ons, he’ll break up the fight and walk one of the cats away—to cool off, perhaps.

I read a cute story on the Internet just yesterday. A gentleman adopted a cat from the streets. He already had several cats in his home and this one, we’ll call Tommy, eventually adjusted and even figured out how to get more of what he was enjoying. Every morning, the cats lined up for petting. Well, it didn’t take Tommy long to learn that if he went to the front of the line, he’d be petted first. It worked for him. But pretty soon, that wasn’t enough for Tommy cat. He was an observant guy and he did love the petting ritual—so much so that he started a new routine. After he received his petting at the front of the line, he’d move to the back of the line and get even more attention. At this writing, who knows, he might have figured out a way to slip in between each pair of cats for triple or quadruple the affection.

Do cats think? What do you think?

Obviously, today’s topic isn’t all that frivolous—a cure for cancer in humans and animals is at the top of our medical priority list.

How can our furry friends possibly cure cancer? I have two startling possibilities. One involves the bond between human and feline. People have reported diminished or even dissolved tumors after their beloved cat rested her paw or her body over the affected area.

But there’s a more tangible and more medically-charged cancer cure potential involving cats. And surprisingly, it’s found in their litter boxes. Yes, scientists are actually researching the hope that a parasite found in cat feces could be put to work curing several serious cancers. Here’s the scoop (pardon the pun).

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/279776.php

http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/cat-feces-cure-cancer-report-article-1.1874626

http://news.discovery.com/animals/pets/cat-poop-parasite-shows-promise-in-treating-cancer-140717.htm

In more personal news, I got word last night that book 2 in my Klepto Cat Mystery series, Cat-Eye Witness, won an honorable mention in the huge Los Angeles Times Festival of Books competition. YAY!!! This is a new experience for me because I’ve never been one to enter writing contests. Gotta say, I’m glad I did this time. There’s no money involved—well, except for my outlay of money to attend the gala awards ceremony in Los Angeles next month. But aren’t bragging rights worth something? Certainly they are when it comes to book promotion.

My thanks goes out to those of you who have enjoyed my Klepto Cat Mysteries and who have reviewed them because you are a big part of the success of the series. THANK YOU!

Additionally, I’d like to involve you in an upcoming story. I’ve used ideas people have given me, including some from a nine-year-old granddaughter. You know Rags and his friends. Do you have any neat ideas for an adventure involving this rather creative cat? Let me know. Leave a comment here or email me: PLFry620@yahoo.com.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Does your cat dabble in art? Does she leave interesting paw prints in the dust on your coffee table, paw-paint your floor with water from her water dish, sprinkle kitty sand in unusual patterns around the litter box, shred paper or flower petals into intricate shapes all over the floor, or claw fancy designs on the back of your favorite chair?

Some cats are just creative that way. When our tabby was younger, she etched claw designs on our hallway walls. Why did she do this? I suppose she wanted to know what was behind that white paint (orange paint). Or she was bored and this was her way of entertaining herself. But when she tired of this activity by the time she turned three or four, and we had the walls painted, I couldn’t help but take pictures to preserve her artwork. She also used to enjoy playing with the magnetic alphabet letters we had on our refrigerator for the grandkids. She sometimes managed to spell a word!

Lily has also been known to leave remnants of her art in the litter box. I’ve found heart-shaped clumps in there, a couple of clumps shaped like cats, and quite a bit of abstract art.

She’s also a house decorator. Is this her way of making it clear that she belongs? Or is she making another kind of statement? She has a basket full of stuffed toys and she rearranges them around the house daily—most of them lined up around my bedroom door and my office. Oh, did I forget to mention that she plays the piano?

You may have read the book, Why Cats Paint—a delightful and beautiful book showing what happens when you give a cat some paint and a canvas. They also have a website where they list feline art galleries in the US and Europe. http://monpa.com/wcp

Do you have an artistic cat? Would love to display some of her work here at my blog site.

In the meantime, there are 16 Klepto Cat Mysteries available featuring a creative and talented klepto cat named Rags. Along with his feline and human friends, he enjoys quite a life of adventure. Check all 16 books out here–all of them are formatted for Kindle and other ereaders. 13 of them are in print. http://amzn.to/1kAI8I2